Funeral of acting great George Cole takes place

Cole, who died on 5 August aged 90, was best known as Cockney wheeler-dealer Arthur Daley in Minder, a role he played for 15 years from 1979 to 1994.

His coffin entered Reading Crematorium to the theme tune to the popular series, which ran from 1979 to 1994 and brought the criminal underworld of west London to millions of homes up and down the country.

He said before the service: “I’m so grateful to have been a friend of this wonderful man. We worked together for many years and my boast is that we laughed all day every day”.

“Well, working with George was one big anecdote”.

“I can’t begin to think about how the family is feeling, all I know is how we are feeling”.

“It’s a wonderful day I suppose but a disgusting one”.

“I’d rather being performing Hamlet with no rehearsals than be standing here doing this”.

Speaking before the service, Derek Webster, long-term friend of Cole and agent to Waterman, said Cole was a “sweetheart”.

Famous faces from the world of showbusiness came to Reading to say a fond farewell to the great British actor George Cole.

“As you can understand, I loved this man and we are here to celebrate his passing so I’ll leave the rest of it to you”, Waterman said.

The 90-year-old actor, who lived near Stoke Row, died on Wednesday last week at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, surrounded by family, following a short illness. “There is a lot more to George than that”. He is not a luvvie. “When they did strike up a friendship they became very close”. He was joined by his wife Pam Flint.

His career went on to span seven decades, during which he was rarely away from the stage or screen.

The actor, who was made an OBE in 1992, was married twice.

However he became estranged from Harriet following a bitter falling out in the 1960s.

Despite his ill-health, Harriet Angell, 58, had not responded to her father’s attempt to reconcile, despite living just 16 miles away from the star’s Oxfordshire home.